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27 June, 2006

Dubai Ports has gotten a new contract to develop Puerto Callao, in Peru, creating a vibrant container terminal where none existed, so that Peru can export its natural gas reserves and anything else would like to export, and get rich doing it. After all, they’ve got a free trade pact with the U.S., they might as well use it!

This port is extremely critical for Peru’s development and will serve as a beachhead from which Peru can challenge the energy export supremacy of Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez and his little Bolivian minime, Evo Morales. From this new port, tons of new energy will flow to the U.S.’s, Mexico’s and Asia’s markets, adding to world supply, driving down the prices, and in the end doing its part to put these dictators out of business.

Read the whole thing. No question that he was democratically elected. Rice calls him a challenge to democracy. Certainly he's a living example that someone who is democratically elected will not always fit the mold of what the Bush administration would hope comes out of a democratic system; hey, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Arguments for calling him a dictator would include: an activist proponent of socialism (in my view dictatorial by definition), proponent of nationalization of industry, actions to convert his term in the direction of a life term, hanging out with dictators, previously attempted to come to power by coup. But there again you can find American presidents that have done some of those things.

Fixing the distribution of wealth that has been skewed for ages is a reason to celebrate rather than vilify the man, I am no fan of socialisim, but unchecked capitalism in South America has left millions living in shacks while Bechtel made billions out of mega projects funded by loans that cannot be repaid.

Also, taking control of national resources is something to be proud of, years of domination by the 7 sisters have kept the oil profit in Houston and the toxic waste is Caracas, it was time to demannd back the rights.

I agree that the man is far from a saint and have regional ambitions, but for the poor, he has delivered, something that the IMF and WB never did.

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